He made the remarks while interviewing Chairman of the Electoral Commission Sam Younger.

“I went along to cast my ballot and took my little boy to show him how democracy works in action and what happened? I couldn’t vote,” he said.

“They said you’ve already voted. I hadn’t already voted. But the very fact of applying, even though I hadn’t personally applied for a postal ballot, meant the presumption that I had voted. Disgraceful.

“My vote was stolen!”

Following Humphrys’ comments, TV presenter Mariella Frostrup telephoned Today to say a similar thing had happened to her.

She was told at the polling station that she had been sent a postal vote and would not be allowed to vote again.

She said: “I set off with my nine-month-old daughter, showing her what democracy was all about ... I was told that I was registered as a postal voter.

“There was a line through my name, so I couldn’t be allowed a ballot paper.

“That was that, I stood there arguing, they gave me a number to call.

“I was apoplectic as you can imagine. I still don’t understand how it happened. I had to walk away without voting.”